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Title: Thermoelectric materials: ternary penta telluride and selenide compounds

Abstract

Ternary tellurium compounds and ternary selenium compounds may be used in fabricating thermoelectric devices with a thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of 1.5 or greater. Examples of such compounds include Tl.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5, Tl.sub.2 GeTe.sub.5, K.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5 and Rb.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5. These compounds have similar types of crystal lattice structures which include a first substructure with a (Sn, Ge) Te.sub.5 composition and a second substructure with chains of selected cation atoms. The second substructure includes selected cation atoms which interact with selected anion atoms to maintain a desired separation between the chains of the first substructure. The cation atoms which maintain the desired separation between the chains occupy relatively large electropositive sites in the resulting crystal lattice structure which results in a relatively low value for the lattice component of thermal conductivity (.kappa..sub.g). The first substructure of anion chains indicates significant anisotropy in the thermoelectric characteristics of the resulting semiconductor materials.

Inventors:
 [1]
  1. Richardson, TX
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
874489
Patent Number(s):
6399871
Application Number:
09/751,864
Assignee:
Marlow Industries, Inc. (Dallas, TX)
DOE Contract Number:  
ORNL 94-0324
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
thermoelectric; materials; ternary; penta; telluride; selenide; compounds; tellurium; selenium; fabricating; devices; merit; zt; 15; examples; tlsub2; sntesub5; getesub5; ksub2; rbsub2; similar; types; crystal; lattice; structures; substructure; tesub5; composition; chains; selected; cation; atoms; interact; anion; maintain; separation; occupy; electropositive; sites; resulting; structure; results; value; component; thermal; conductivity; kappasubg; indicates; significant; anisotropy; characteristics; semiconductor; semiconductor material; thermal conductivity; lattice structure; thermoelectric device; /136/

Citation Formats

Sharp, Jeffrey W. Thermoelectric materials: ternary penta telluride and selenide compounds. United States: N. p., 2002. Web.
Sharp, Jeffrey W. Thermoelectric materials: ternary penta telluride and selenide compounds. United States.
Sharp, Jeffrey W. Tue . "Thermoelectric materials: ternary penta telluride and selenide compounds". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/874489.
@article{osti_874489,
title = {Thermoelectric materials: ternary penta telluride and selenide compounds},
author = {Sharp, Jeffrey W},
abstractNote = {Ternary tellurium compounds and ternary selenium compounds may be used in fabricating thermoelectric devices with a thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of 1.5 or greater. Examples of such compounds include Tl.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5, Tl.sub.2 GeTe.sub.5, K.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5 and Rb.sub.2 SnTe.sub.5. These compounds have similar types of crystal lattice structures which include a first substructure with a (Sn, Ge) Te.sub.5 composition and a second substructure with chains of selected cation atoms. The second substructure includes selected cation atoms which interact with selected anion atoms to maintain a desired separation between the chains of the first substructure. The cation atoms which maintain the desired separation between the chains occupy relatively large electropositive sites in the resulting crystal lattice structure which results in a relatively low value for the lattice component of thermal conductivity (.kappa..sub.g). The first substructure of anion chains indicates significant anisotropy in the thermoelectric characteristics of the resulting semiconductor materials.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2002},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2002}
}

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